Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones at the Bard Graduate Center

Yesterday morning, I had the privilege of attending the press preview for the Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones exhibit at the Bard Graduate Center. The exhibit, which runs now until April 15th, shows a plethora of hats from around the world and from various time periods. The hats were taken from private collections or were owned by The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The V&A originally produced this traveling exhibit.

Milliner Stephen Jones

Milliner Stephen Jones, along with Oriole Cullen from the V&A, put this excellent exhibit together to show a history of hats. They chose hats from modern day milliners like Phillip Treacy, Eugenia Kim, and Stephen Jones himself, various occupations like firefighters and soldiers, and private individuals like celebrities and the everyday woman and man. Everything was arranged neatly, with the perfect lighting to prevent the dyes of the hats from fading.

The best part of the tour and press preview was the fact that Stephen Jones himself was there to lead us through the exhibit. His knowledge of the pieces, and hats in general, was amazing. You could see the burning passion that he has for hats. Jones made himself available for anyone who wanted to speak with him. He was so polite and kind. I was able to have a quick word with him near the life-size replica of his first atelier, which by the way was another personal fav of mine.

If you are interested in seeing this exhibit, you have until April 15, 2012 to get down to the Bard Graduate Center near W. 86th Street and Central Park West.